Concept for traffic master plan gets support

St. Augustine is moving forward with plans for a parking garage at the Visitor Information Center to relieve some of its parking problems downtown.

The City Commission voted unanimously Monday to support the concept of a traffic master plan that has been in the development stages for months. The next step will be to hire consultants.

The City Commission will still need to approve the garage, as well as other aspects such as design and whether to issue bonds to pay for the project. John Regan, chief operating officer for the city, said the cost estimate is $13 million for a three-to-four-story garage.

He said the process the city will use for hiring the consultants will begin today.

Downtown St. Augustine experiences 10,000 visitors, 6,000 employees and 1,300 driving Flagler College students daily, Regan said. Not including the 467 under used spaces at the Visitor Information Center, downtown has 1,050 public parking spaces, Regan said.

He called the situation an inventory deficiency.

"That is the fundamental problem," Regan said. "There is not enough parking downtown."

Flagler College President William Abare said the college would like to be an anchor tenant for the garage, and its students could use it for parking.

The master plan, which has already been through a series of public meetings, includes many facets.

Regan explained that the city needs signs, starting at Interstate 95, to tell people where public parking is available. Next, the city needs to increase its parking inventory, and the parking garage would be a multi-modal hub for local employees, students and visitors, he said.

Also, the rate structure for parking meters would be changed to remove the perception of cheaper parking. Residents and business owners would pay 50 cents and visitors would pay $2 for an hour.

The higher rate for visitors would make the new garage attractive, and thereby free more street spaces for residents and business employees, he said.

The city would establish a transit system to move people from the garage into downtown. The plan also calls for a future garage at the Sebastian Inland Harbor and a remodeling of the parking lot behind the Lightner Museum.

The master plan represents a cultural change for the city, Regan said.

"We are changing the way we operate," Regan said. "It's a major deal."

The transportation plan drew fire and support from residents. Some said the parking garage at the Visitor Information Center does not fix the need for parking south of King Street. Other residents said the spot was the best location.

Michael Pounds said it was the right plan, the right time and the right place. Additional parking is needed downtown, he said.

"On an average day, we're a couple of thousand spaces short of what we should have," Pounds said.

But others, such as Elizabeth Holiday, said parking is needed south of King Street first. And Tom Kavanaugh said the city would be in debt for years to come.

His concern was shared by Commissioner Bill Lennon, who is worried that the garage might not generate enough traffic. Lennon suggested that the city build a smaller structure at first.

"I'd be much more relaxed if we started small and then added more later on," Lennon said.

But Commissioner Don Crichlow disagreed.

"If we're going to do something there, let's do something that's going to make an impact on parking in St. Augustine," Crichlow said.

Richard Pinto, who has worked on city parking issues for years, said he was disappointed to see the city dividing itself into regions based on where a garage should be. He explained that a garage at the Visitor Information Center has always been on the city's traffic plan.

"This is not something that has just been invented," Pinto said.

St. Augustine City Manager Bill Harriss said more details would be forthcoming on the parking plan and the city should know how much more money it needs to borrow for the garage in May.